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Opinion Headlines
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 09 September 2010 10:02 |
 Real Education Reform That Works is Steady and No Nonsense
Education reform has been in the news a lot lately. Reform is the buzzword in Washington, it is the focus of editorial pages across Alabama, and it is a central theme for some political campaigns.
Reform has been a hot topic nationally because of the administration's reform effort called Race to the Top. You may have heard about this competition, which demanded states make major changes in their laws in order to have a chance at $4 billion in prize money.
The fact is that in Alabama we have been undertaking education reform for the better part of the last decade, and we have some remarkable achievements to show for it. For example, take the Alabama Reading Initiative. Started in 1998, and finally offered to all schools in 2006 after saving up enough money in the budget, the Reading Initiative has shown remarkable achievement.
From 2005 to 2009, few states across the country had more improvement on fourth grade reading scores than Alabama. We do better now at teaching children reading early, especially those children who have problems, than we ever had before. We know that when children have early success, future academic achievement also rises.
The Reading Initiative did some very basic things. First, it identified the best teaching techniques for early reading based on research and data. Then the program retrained teachers on these techniques, and supplied support to faculties as they implemented these techniques. Add some funding for more books and ways to help schools to celebrate and promote reading and you get real progress in early literacy.
We grew this program ourselves, started it in a few schools to see what worked and what didn’t, expanded to other schools as funds became available, and finally offered it to all schools after eight years of effort. During that time the Legislature and two administrations made sure it was nurtured and protected, even in times of proration. It was steady progress, built on a foundation of experience and what works.
It wasn’t flashy reform. It was simply reform that worked.
We took the success of the Reading Initiative and five years ago started the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). Again, the program uses research based teaching techniques, retrains teachers, and provides them with materials to teach math and science in an effective and dynamic way. It has reinvigorated science and math classes across the state, and we are seeing improvement in learning.
Right now, AMSTI is in approximately 40 percent of Alabama junior and senior high schools. We want to expand the program, but in these tough times, where proration has cut education spending by more than 20 percent, we just can’t do it. We made sure to protect the program where it already is, but growing AMSTI isn’t feasible right now. Hopefully, when the economy gets going again and school revenue rebounds, we’ll be able to bring AMSTI to the hundreds of schools waiting for it. We know AMSTI works, and we are dedicated to seeing it to fruition.
There is no doubt that gaining some funds from the Race to the Top would be a perfect fit to expand AMSTI. Unfortunately, this kind of steady, no nonsense effort wasn’t highly thought of by the Washington evaluators. They gave us little credit for these programs. That is unfortunate because we could really use the funding for what we know works.
Our determination to improve schools with a steady well-planned effort over time will not be shaken. We have been implementing our reform when resources allow, and we constantly look to improve our efforts. For proof, just look at how test scores are up and dropouts are down. That is real reform.
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Opinion Headlines
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 09 September 2010 09:57 |
 The Start Of School Brings Hope For The Future
Even though it is still hot outside, for most Alabama children, summer is over this week. The backpacks are on, the new school clothes are still stiff and a little scratchy, buses ramble down the road for the first time, and the expectations of a new classroom and a new teacher fill children’s thoughts.
After parents and family, school is certainly the most important thing shaping the lives of the vast majority of children. The fresh start of a school year is also a time of optimism, and a chance to think about the future of every young person who is walking into that schoolhouse door.
We know that when children are successful in school, they will have better opportunities down the road. With the increase in competition from every part of the globe, it’s becoming more apparent that the education of our young people is critical for the economic future of our entire state.
It used to be that when a young person dropped out of high school, there was still a job market available to them and a good life to be had. You could go directly to the plant or begin a trade, work in an office or start a family, and still get a piece of the American dream. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, a high school dropout in Alabama would make about 50 cents for every dollar of income earned by the average college graduate.
Those days are long gone. The income of high school dropouts has fallen dramatically in recent decades as overseas competition has increased, and the demand for better trained workers and the need for higher education have increased. According to federal data, workers who failed to graduate from high school earned only 29 cents for every dollar that the average college educated worker received.
After making adjustments for inflation, the data show the average family income for high school dropouts declined by approximately 25 percent from 1973 to 2004, as opposed to a 17 percent increase for families with college degrees. The income difference between those with a high school diploma and some technical training and dropouts shows a widening gap as well.
Leaving school before graduating and making a decent life is no longer an option. Young people must gain a diploma and some job skills or go on to college in order to prosper.
The good news is that we have seen a steady decline in the dropout rate, and now have the lowest rate in our state’s history. More than 83 percent of Alabama students graduate high school now, as compared to only six in 10 decades ago. While it may take some of those students more than four years to do so, graduating is the key, and more of our young people are doing it.
We are poised to do even better. One of the primary reasons for students dropping out is academic problems, specifically trouble with basic skills like reading. Research shows that if a child can’t read by third grade, chances are that the child will never read. A student who cannot read cannot survive in the classroom and will walk away.
It is that impetus that moved our state to launch the Alabama Reading Initiative in 1999. Over the past decade it has grown from a handful of schools to being finally implemented everywhere in 2007. It took that much time because of fiscal constraints. We have the lowest taxes in the nation and we build programs as we can afford them.
The Reading Initiative has reinvigorated early reading teaching practices, providing common sense strategies to help struggling readers. What we saw from the program was the nation’s largest jump in fourth grade reading scores in the nation.
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Opinion Headlines
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 09 September 2010 09:56 |
The unemployed casino workers are not the only individuals suffering from the actions of the Task Force on Illegal Gambling appointed and directed by our Governor. The closing of such facilities is affecting many citizens through a trickle down effect. Businesses, vendors and their sales associates who previously supplied products to the casinos have been tremendously harmed.
To mention just a few, the Buffalo Rock Corporation and Central Paper, both with headquarters in Birmingham, Sysco whose corporate office is in Calera and U. S. Food Service with a corporate office in Montgomery. There are countless others who could be added to this list. Not to overlook the revenue lost from lack of business with ABC, the Alcohol Control Board. No court had deemed these facilities illegal but the Governor has said they are so...that’s the way it is, how has this happened? In my opinion, Bob Riley is bad for Alabama business and crippling economic development.
Zach Griffin
Montgomery, Alabama |
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Opinion Headlines
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 09 September 2010 09:55 |
The people of Alabama follow the honor and values of this state and defend the ones that will continue to protect the society of Alabama. With all the corruption going on in this state’s political spectacle, it is up to the citizens to not turn a blind eye by not allowing the hypocritical politicians to continue to try to control us any longer. All the sweetheart deals being made behind closed doors will only continue to allow the powerful to be more powerful while pockets continue to be lined and the hardworking individuals continue to suffer.
The political humiliation going on, from trying to steal our constitutional rights, give it to the huge corporate contributors and leaders without, we the people, knowing is inexcusable. It is our just to protect and defend our rights and let the voices of Alabama be heard by getting out to vote. No political figure should ever take the public’s privileges away to vote. It is up to the great people that reside in this state to stand up and let the politicians of Alabama know we will not shut up and follow, that we will allow our voices to be heard. As a state, let’s prevail; it belongs to the people not the politicians! VOTE...
Paul Glass
Tallassee, Alabama |
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Opinion
The rise and fall of Sardis Baptist Church
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